The Half Blood Prince and the Last Dragonlord
by AliceIsAFan95
Summary: [UNCOMPLETED, MAY UPDATE AGAIN BUT NOT FOR A LONG WHILE, SORRY] Merlin is getting angry and considering dark things. A young Snape has just called Lily a Mudblood and fears for his future. What will happen when Snape stumbles upon a portkey and ends up in Camelot? What will they learn?
1. To Kill a Hippogriff

**My first crossover! This chapter is Merlin's introduction, Snape's will follow soon! I hope you like it and can R&R!**

**This could be fairly long depending on the response and reviews but I do have a storyline planned.  
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**I do not own BBC's Merlin or Harry Potter!  
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"Come on Merlin, we'll never catch the hippogriff at this rate!" Arthur shouted over his shoulder to his manservant, Merlin, who was running up the sloped floor of the woods, panting and trying to keep up.

"Sorry, Sire," said Merlin, finally reaching his King, "What exactly is it we're looking for again?"

"Oh for goodness' sake, Merlin, you were at council when it was announced. Sometimes I don't know what goes through that head of yours; it must be full of straw!" Arthur rolled his eyes, "Head of an eagle. Body of a horse. Big. Savage. Ring any bells?"

Merlin gave Arthur what he hoped was a dignified glare, "But we don't know it can even be found in this part of the Kingdom. And if it does, how do we know it's savage?"

"It's eight feet tall with talons!"

"But Gaius said that they only attack when provoked. Perhaps the villagers were wrong. Maybe if we just leave it alone-" Merlin stopped suddenly when he caught a glimpse of Arthur's pitying face.

"Aw, I should have known," He sighed, "You're scared, aren't you?"

Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but Arthur had already opened his to speak again.

"It's alright. It won't hurt you if I'm here," Merlin hated the way Arthur was looking at him, like he was some fool. All he wanted to do was to prove himself. But obviously that option was out of the equation.

Arthur was still laughing his arrogant little chuckle when a shadow fell over him. Merlin looked up to see a large beaked face above Arthur's.

_The hippogriff!_ Merlin thought excitedly. His eyes fell over its beautiful feathers and its long lean silver body. He was in awe. However, as usual, Arthur didn't share his sentiments.

"Merlin, look!" he laughed, "We've only gone and walked into the beast's land! Come on then, let's have you!" Arthur stepped forwards and swung his sword through the air in his signature threatening style. The beast, however, was looking more and more annoyed by the second. It obviously didn't like being disturbed by Kings, especially ones who looked like they were about to cut its head off.

"Arthur," said Merlin warily, "Maybe you should step back,"

But Arthur, being Arthur, wasn't having any of it. He merely chuckled and advanced on the beast, eyes focused on where its feathered head met its body.

"Cover me, Merlin" He took a final, bold step towards the beast, but was soon thrown back as the hippogriff flapped its wings and reared towards the King, sending him flying across the leafy floor. Making a noise like nothing Merlin had ever heard before, he advanced on Arthur with what must have been a determined look.

Merlin stood, helpless as Arthur lay on the ground. But – wait – the King's eyes were fixed on the beast's flailing claws rather than Merlin. Now was his chance.

"_Gemildgian aewiht,_"he whispered, but still the beast advanced on the now terrified man. "_Gemildgian!_"Merlin hissed, more forcefully this time, "_Alicgan!"_

Slowly, finally, the hippogriff began to calm. It stopped rearing, at least, and Arthur was able to shuffle backwards until he was a safe distance away. Merlin breathed a sigh of relief, as he watched the beautiful creature back away, mesmerised. He had began to regain his sense of calm and was about to cross to Arthur, but the King was already off the floor, and seizing his advantage against the quieter beast, he drew his sword and thrust it into the hippogriff's heart. Letting out a horrible groan, it fell to the ground as Arthur withdrew his weapon triumphantly, watching with pride as his latest kill sunk to the earth.

"Well, that's that!" Arthur turned round to Merlin and grinned at him, "Although, Merlin, I must say that you weren't very helpful there. If it hadn't backed off I would have been in a lot of trouble!" Annoyance filled his eyes now and he rounded on his manservant.

"Well, Merlin?" he demanded, "Were you planning on letting it finish me off?" Merlin began to object, but then stopped. Again, there was no way to reveal what he had done. Arthur gave him another angry glare; one that he knew promised extra work and punishments later on, and began to retreat down the woody hill they had previously climbed.

Merlin watched him follow in incredulity and irritation. Once more he had saved the King, and once more he had been unable to take credit. He sighed. It seemed that every time he used his magic for good, it went unnoticed. And for the first time in his life, as he watched King Arthur walk away with his signature strut, Merlin asked himself what would happen if he defied everyone and used his magic to achieve something for himself. Could Merlin become like Morgana? Could he become a dark wizard?


	2. A Meeting by the Beech Tree

**So this is the second chapter. This is Snape's intro, and I'm already halfway through the next scene (where Snape goes to Camelot)**

**I hope it's okay, and I welcome any constructive reviews as this is my first proper fanfiction!  
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**Again, I do not own Harry Potter or Merlin (much to my dismay)**_**  
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Severus Snape put down his pen and clasped his hands in front of him. He'd already finished the Defence Against The Dark Arts paper and checked it 4 times, with 20 minutes to spare. He looked around the room, where quills were still scribbling away.

It was his last O.W.L and he had to say that he was rather proud with his performance. He'd been able to list every use of aconite and he had no trouble perfecting the _Duro_ incantation in his Transfiguration practical. To be honest, he found it rather easy. He always did.

Severus gently stroked the feather of his quill, turning things over in his mind. As usual, after a few solemn thoughts he found his mind drifting towards Lily. He lifted his eyes from the feather and looked around the room, so that he could find her again. She was sat a few rows in front of him and to the left, due to her surname coming before his alphabetically. Her red hair fell down her back and shimmered in the light as she moved her head, scribbling on the page in front of her.

Snape watched her carefully for the remainder of the exam time. Once the gong had rung and the students rose, he walked slowly behind her, still watching, only parting from her when she turned to go to the girl's lavatory. Sighing, he made the decision to take a walk in the grounds.

Walking for a short while, he eventually settled under a tall beech tree nearby the water, musing. He knew that he had to attend a meeting with Professor Slughorn after lunch to discuss his future career plans, but if he was honest, he did not know himself which path he would take. He had always excelled in most school subjects so that narrowed it down.

"_It is hard to know where to turn when there are so many factors pulling one towards them_," Snape remembered his mother telling him as a child. She couldn't have described his situation any better: as a Slytherin he knew he should feel certain things but he wasn't sure of his feelings at all.

One thing he did know, however, was that he _hated_ James Potter. And on that sunny morning at Hogwarts while he sat quietly, his nemesis was all too close for Severus' liking. James was approaching the tree with a few of his raucous friends but had not yet spotted Snape, hunched over in a crook in the trunk. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Sirius Black.

"Hey look!" Sirius exclaimed, pointing towards where he had seen the shadowy boy, "It's Snivellus!" James followed his finger and swaggered around the tree until he was right in front of Snape.

"So it is!" he smiled, "And how _are_ you, Snivellus? Find the exam all right?" Snape knew from James' mocking tone that he wasn't in for a pleasant conversation. He hastily got up and attempted to walk away, but James' next remark stopped him in his tracks.

"I saw you staring at Lily Potter earlier. You fancy her, don't you?"

Snape turned around. "No I don't," he said defiantly, but he knew all too well that his face didn't tell the same story. The boys around him had already erupted into cackles and he knew there was no way out. The only thing he could do was attempt to seem indifferent.

"So what if I do?" Snape said with what he thought was a confident tone. Unfortunately he could tell that it wasn't as bold as he had hoped.

"You have no right lusting over her," Sirius Black said to him, while James glared, "She's a Gryffindor and you're just a Slytherin. You don't have the right to fancy her."

"Your whole family was in Slytherin!" Snape retorted, red in the face from the insolence he was presented with, "Too bad you're not as noble as them, eh?"

Snape knew from the faces surrounding him that any potential trouble he was going to receive had just been doubled. James, ever the 'loyal Gryffindor' as he liked to be presented, took a step forwards towards Snape.

"I won't have you insulting my friends, Snivellus. And I can't have you mooning over Lily either. I'm going to teach you and your Slytherin ideals a lesson." James lunged forwards towards Snape and was just putting his hand in his pocket for his wand when there was a voice from behind him.

"GET OFF HIM, JAMES!"

It was Lily. Snape looked over at her in delight as she grabbed James' arm and pulled him back.

"What have I said, James?" she said angrily, "I won't have you being such a bully! Anyone would think you're a child!"

It was surprising how quickly the group backed down at her arrival. However, as grateful as Snape was for her sudden interjection, he knew that the fact that a girl had just saved his neck was going to bring him even more trouble.

"Are you all right, Severus?" she asked, touching his arm gently and sending warm bursts of feeling up and down it. It was all Snape could do not to clutch her up into an embrace, but he had to find some way of repairing the damage done.

He didn't know why he said it; maybe it was the heat of the moment or a sense of foreshadowing dread about the response to his rescue, but all Snape was aware of was him brushing Lily's hand off his arm, turning towards her and speaking the unforgivable words, ones he would regret for the rest of his life.

"_Mudblood_"


	3. Excalibur

**This chapter may be a bit boring to be honest, it's more of a transition scene. It's quite short.  
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**I drafted the chapter 4 and it will come in a few days, and then chapter 5 is where Merlin and Snape meet.  
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**I hope you enjoy it, don't read it if you don't!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin of Harry Potter :(  
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A week after the Hippogriff incident, Merlin sat in his chambers, having what he considered to be a well-earned rest.

That morning, he had polished and sharpened King Arthur's sword for the tourney the next day; he had taken Queen Guinevere's gowns and washed them (for since Arthur had been married, Merlin had found himself burdened with Gwen's chores too); and he had sat in on 3 councils with various scholars across the kingdom about a recent discovery of ancient religious texts.

Merlin felt exhausted. He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling and attempting to relax as much as he was able to. He was amazed that he'd been able to wangle a break, but knew it wouldn't last long.

Gaius was visiting the outlying villages, treating the many peasants who had come down with a recent bout of influenza, so Merlin had to take care of the residents of Camelot; he knew he only had half an hour or so before he needed to be on his feet again. Thus, it was fairly tricky for Merlin to allow himself a break, as his mind was too busy going over the day's tasks.

Merlin sighed and sat up on his bed. _What would I give, _he thought to himself, _to just escape this dull life for a while? Could I do it?_

Suddenly, Merlin leapt to his feet. He _could_ do it! He was well practised in magic; he could simply transport himself away from Camelot, to another place, another time! He scrambled onto the floor to locate his book of spells from under his bed, and then hastily flicked through the pages until he found the incantation that he needed. Merlin's eyes hurriedly scanned down the page and he discovered that for the incantation to work, he would need an object which would become the body of transport for him.

Merlin remembered that he had been entrusted with looking after Arthur's sword (which he had come to name Excalibur) until the tourney, so he carefully pulled it out and placed it on the floor in front of him.

Focusing on it, Merlin murmured the incantation, picturing in his mind a beautiful location which had come to him once in a dream, a castle surrounded by a lake and great hills.

"_Mec asete geond æfterield_"

The sword began to glow a blue colour and there was a slight haze surrounding it. This lasted for a few seconds until it suddenly stopped.

Merlin cautiously hovered his hand over the sword. What he was about to do, if it worked, was reckless. He could be needed by Gaius, needed in the kingdom. But, for once, Merlin didn't care. He didn't care where this device would take him and he didn't concern himself with the consequences.

Making up his mind, Merlin lowered his arm until his palm was just above the sword. Carefully, he bent his finger down and touched it. He immediately felt a lurching sensation and it seemed as though something had hold of his navel, just about to pull…

Merlin let go of the sword in a panic and sat back. That was not the sensation he had been imagining. He tested his limbs and seemed fine, so he began to ready himself for his next attempt at the voyage. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. The frantic drumming of his heart eventually slowed to a steady pace, so he opened his eyes once more and shuffled across the floor to where he had placed the enchanted sword.

The sight that greeted Merlin was one that he could scarcely comprehend. The sword was gone.


	4. Repercussions and the Gleaming Sword

**So this is chapter 4! Thank you to anyone who has read or subscribed and to FireChildSlytherin5 for the lovely reviews which always make me smile!**

**The real story is going to start after this chapter so I hope you'll stick with it! And I hope you like it!  
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**I welcome any reviews as long as they're not downright rude! Any suggestions may be taken on!  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or Harry Potter  
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Of one thing Severus Snape was certain: things with Lily Evans would never be the same again.

He had begged her to forgive him a hundred times, but each time he attempted to talk to her, whether it was in class, in the corridors or at breakfast, he was met with the same blank face.

The incident by the beech tree had been playing over and over in his mind for the past week. What had made him call Lily a Mudblood he would never be sure of, but one thing he did know was that it was the worst thing that he ever could have said, and it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

The repercussions of Snape's words were more grave than anything he could have imagined. Somebody (he suspected that it was the Hufflepuff, Peter Macmillan) had informed the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, about what he had said and Snape had been reprimanded heavily.

True, his friends Avery and Mulciber and many other Slytherins had in fact admired Snape for his outburst. One of the 7th years with a penchant for the dark arts had actually clapped him on the back.

However, the majority of the attention that Snape got was not positive – not by any means. He received frequent glares in the corridor and most of the teachers were not attempting to hide their disappointment; it was safe to say that he was no longer one of the top pupils.

But none of this newfound reputation was particularly significant to Snape: Lily was the only one who mattered. To Severus' anguish, James Potter had provided somewhat of a comfort to Lily Evans and she seemed to be much more willing to laugh at his jokes and accept his arm around her shoulder.

It physically pained and sickened Snape to see the love of his life sitting next to Potter in the Great Hall at lunch, smiling at the boy; so much so that Snape had taken to grabbing lunch from the table as soon as the bell rang and rushing outside to eat alone in the grounds.

That was why, on that sunny summer's day, Severus Snape found himself crouching behind the strawberry bushes outside Hogwarts castle with a cheese and mead-chutney-pickle pasty.

Snape wasn't one for crying but he found himself coming pretty close today. Through his head ran a frantic stream of questions, running around his brain in an endless loop.

What if he'd held his tongue? What would happen next? Was his destiny now to be like his fellow Slytherins? Would he become…a Death Eater?

Snape let this thought linger. He'd always been proud of the magical side of his family, (his father was a drunken swine who had no respect for his mother) which was the reason he so frequently referred to himself as the Half-Blood Prince. However, he wasn't sure if he was ready to discriminate against those with non-magical roots. He'd fallen absolutely and completely in love with Lily from the moment he met her and she came from a muggle family. Snape's brain was a mess.

Going the way he was, especially with his recent remark to Lily, he wondered if he might just…_fall_ into the dark arts. So many of his friends seemed to be going that way. Snape could honestly say that he didn't know.

He tried to find a comfortable position behind the bushes as he mulled these deliberations over in his mind. He was just about settling into a reasonably comfy spot when – _whoosh!_

The noise came from behind him and was followed with a rustle and then a clatter, suggesting something had fallen through the bushes and onto the dry, dusty ground.

"Who's there?" Snape shouted defensively as he jumped up and turned, but he found no one. Out of the corner of his eye, Severus saw something gleam. On closer inspection as he walked round to the side of the bush where the object was laying, he realised that by his feet lay a sword.

_Was it…the sword of Gryffindor?_

Snape wondered this for a moment, until he noticed the lack of rubies on the hilt and concluded that this must not be the case.

The sword certainly carried the air of goblin-made weaponry: it was boasting a magnificent gold and silver blade of what seemed like the finest quality.

Entranced, Snape leant down and picked the sword up.

In a second, he was jerked at the navel and pulled into a whirlwind sensation, lifted off his feet. He felt himself spinning round and round as he clutched the hilt with his shaking hands. He only just had time to register that the object must have been a Portkey when he landed on a hard floor, sword in hand.

Panting and dizzy, Snape sat up and took in his surroundings.

"Merlin's beard!" he gasped; the room he was in looked almost Medieval. He was just taking in the wooden beams and dusty floorboards when there was a long gasp from behind him. He stood up and turned hastily, and was met with the very scared looking face of a young man.


	5. The New Arrival

**So here's chapter 5! I hope it's okay! The exciting stuff starts now as Merlin and Snape start to get to know each other. I'm trying to write each character as well as I can but it's especially hard for me with Snape because with the exception of 'The Prince's Tale' we don't really get to know the young Severus. I'll try and get him right!  
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**Thank you for all the reviews, I appreciate them, and keep them coming! Also when I get a notification that someone has set an alert for my story, I get very proud :)  
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**If you're interested, here's a Merlin fan song that I wrote: **

** watch?v=svmxu9MI3io**

**My whole channel is made up of various fan songs and similar, including 3 Merlin things and a Harry Potter thing! If you're interested! Thank you!  
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**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine :( Nor is Merlin!  
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"Who are you?" Merlin asked the boy who had just appeared in his chambers. He had long, dark, lanky hair and looked about 16. He seemed as fearful as Merlin felt; he appeared to be clutching onto a small stick-like object as if it was a sword.

Merlin suddenly noticed the sword - Excalibur - which he had enchanted, laying on the ground next to the boy. It seemed like he had used it to get to Merlin's chambers. How odd.

Instead of answering Merlin's question, the boy jumped to his feet and held out his stick-like object threateningly at Merlin.

"I-I'm not a-afraid to use my wand" he stuttered in a wobbly voice. Merlin had just opened his mouth to respond when the boy drew back his 'wand' – at least that was what Merlin had thought he had said – and took a breath. Merlin didn't know who this boy was and what he was doing in Camelot, but he did know an aggressive stance when he saw one and he was quick to react.

"_Beslæp_!" Merlin cried as his rose his arm. The boy fell to the floor instantaneously, fast asleep.

Merlin made sure he kept his head clear and he looked over the boy. He needed to act sensibly. This boy looked young and harmless but he could very well be any form of evil magical being. He couldn't take a chance.

Three minutes later, Merlin had tied the new arrival to the chair in his room, turned out the boy's pockets, and taken this 'wand' for good measure. He examined what the boy had had on him. His pockets were full of crumbs from some kind of pastry, and he had a scroll of parchment and a long feathered quill. The 'wand' was long and made of a dark wood. The end was carved into a beautiful pattern and it seemed to shake in Merlin's hand. It almost felt…magical.

The boy still looked fast asleep, so Merlin had time to read through what was written on the scroll of parchment he had discovered. It was a poem. It was beautifully written, but darker than any poetry which Merlin had come across in Gaius' books. It seemed to be about a girl, from the way the poet described the subject. The poem seemed to be describing some sort of conflict between the "right thing" and feelings. Merlin felt almost as if he was intruding.

He rolled up the parchment and sat back. He knew that he was late in delivering a number of potions for some residents in the lower town, but he wasn't sure he could leave the boy here alone. But the sun was setting and he had medicine to apply: Gaius was relying on him.

Merlin made sure the knots he had tied were tight, and then picked up the medicine bag which Gaius had entrusted him with and left the room, making sure he shut the door firmly behind him. "_Loc._"

By the time Merlin returned, it had been a good 2 hours and the sun had set on Camelot. He had had to treat a young boy, Cyneric, who had come down with a most peculiar ailment, thus Merlin needed to stay with him for a while. He'd been so busy that the occurrence with the strange boy had slipped to the back of his mind.

Therefore, Merlin jumped when he opened the door of his chambers to find a chair toppled over with a very angry and very scared looking occupant. Merlin gasped, and feeling bad, he pulled the heavy chair upright and turned it so it was facing him. The look on the boy's face suggested he had woken up some time ago and was not at all happy about it.

"Sorry," said Merlin without thinking, "I didn't mean to be gone so long"

The expression on the visitor's face did not change.

"I woke up an hour ago and fell over. Where am I? Who are you?" The boy seemed to be fighting to keep an annoyed expression, as the vulnerability he clearly possessed was showing through. It was odd, but Merlin felt that this boy would not be a threat.

"My name is Merlin and you're in Camelot."

The boy's eyes widened. "No! Merlin? _The_ Merlin? Merlin's beard, you must be joking. Is this another test for my OWLs? Do I have to fight you?"

This was all very odd to Merlin but he assumed the boy could have a mild concussion after his fall.

"Don't worry yourself," he said hesitantly, placing his hand on the boy's forehead with a sympathetic smile, "You've had a fall and I expect this is all very strange to you. I don't really understand it myself. How did you get here?"

"I don't know," said the boy, who was staring nervously at Merlin, "One minute I was in the grounds at Hogwarts, and the next I was travelling by Portkey. With _that._" He pointed to Excalibur and Merlin hesitantly picked it up. It seemed to have lost its magical power, or at least was lying dormant.

"You mean…you travelled with this? My enchantment worked?" Merlin asked in a wonder.

"You did this? You created the Portkey? Then, you could be Merlin. You're a wizard, after all."

"No I'm not," Merlin said quickly. Years of working within Camelot had trained him to deny any such accusations as the one he had received. Although, the boy did seem to know about this sort of thing, and he could always find a potion to erase that particular memory from the boy's mind. He was very young, after all.

"Well," Merlin tried again, taking a breath, "I do…have magic, if that's what you mean. Do…I mean…do you have magic?"

"I can perform magic," the boy said nervously, "And if you are who you say you are, then you must be one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Why are you living here, in this grubby room?"

This confused Merlin. The boy seemed to know about him, but he didn't even know the child's name.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Severus Snape," the boy replied, "The Half-Blood Prince."


	6. New Surroundings

**So here's chapter 6! It's taken sooo long because I was really busy (sorry!)**

**This chapter is less boring (I hope) than the last two, which were just sort of transition chapters, but I really hope you like it! Heads up, this story isn't going to have a Snape/Merlin slash, or even Merthur (maybe I'll suggest Merthur but that'll be all!)  
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**I'm going to be without Microsoft Word for a couple of weeks so I won't be publishing anything until early August but I'll write several chapters in a notebook, so it's just a question of typing them up!  
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**Thanks for all the favourites and subscriptions, they make me so happy :) Keep the reviews coming, don't be afraid!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or Harry Potter  
**

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"The Half-Blood Prince?" Merlin asked, staring at Snape with a muddled look on his face, "What's that?"

What was it? Snape wasn't sure how to explain it himself. And besides, he didn't really understand what was going on. This young man was speaking to him in an almost calm manner, as if anyone just popped up in his bedroom on a Friday afternoon. Snape couldn't quite get his head around it. He knew he'd travelled away from Hogwarts, or at least he was fairly sure that he didn't recognise the room (and he was one for exploring the castle with a map similar to the one he'd seen James Potter using). But this room looked like it was from another time.

Frankly, Snape was concerned. All he knew was that he had been taken by an apparently time-travelling portkey to a dusty bedroom of a twenty-something young man who claimed to be none other than the great sorcerer Merlin himself, tied up and left for hours then offered a hand of kindness. And he didn't like it one bit. He wanted to leave immediately, find Lily and return to the dungeons.

As a Slytherin, Snape was cunning and this boy looked as though he was slightly afraid of him, so he could use this to his advantage. Take advantage of the vulnerability of 'Merlin'.

"It's just a name I call myself," Snape answered to the question posed to him, "It doesn't really have a meaning. Would you mind if I was able to get out of this chair? My legs are starting to ache and we're acquainted now." Snape added what he assumed was a smile – although it was probably more of a grimace; he wasn't familiar with grinning.

This 'Merlin' (Snape had been through the logic and rubbished the idea of this scrawny man with apparent magical skills being the great wizard) looked wary, but eventually he smiled and raised his hand to the bindings which held him to the chair.

"_Carléast_" The bindings fell from Snape and he was able to rise to his feet. Keeping up the calm charade, he gestured towards his wand with another grimace.

"May I?" he said, "I feel a bit odd without it"

'Merlin' smiled and Snape could tell he was falling for his act. The man picked up the wand from where he had placed and made to hand it over. But first, he held it in his fingers and stroked the length of it.

"What is this?" the man asked, "I can almost feel the magic in it"

"It's my wand," replied Snape, "I use it to perform magic. How do you do spells?"  
"I don't require a weapon for my enchantments," Merlin said, smiling, "I suppose we hold different kinds."

"I suppose you're right," said Snape, attempting to finish the conversation. This had gone on too long. He held out his hand and gestured at the birch wand he had used since he first went to Ollivander's as a timid 11 year-old. Merlin handed it over – his mistake.

Snape jumped into action immediately

."Petrificus totalus" he screamed, pointing his wand at the man's chest. Taken by surprise, he was struck full-on and fell to the floor, immobile.

"Merlin the Great and Powerful, are you?" smirked Snape as he gazed on the motionless man lying before him, "Well he's just been beaten by a fifth-year"

Snape took his chance; even his body-bind curses weren't the strongest and often when the Slytherins practised on each other they didn't last long – he needed to escape now. Running to the door, he tried the rotting handle and found it to be locked.

"_Alohomora_" he said and the door swung open easily. He walked out of the man's small room to find himself in a larger one which looked similar to the potions classroom at Hogwarts. Bottles of this and that lined the walls and there were a number of cauldrons on top of surfaces where books were piled. Snape couldn't identify all of the ingredients but he could have sworn that he saw a bezoar amongst the jars. But now he could be sure that he wasn't in Hogwarts.

Snape wasted no time in exiting the new room he'd entered as he was eager to find somewhere he recognised, in order to gain some sense of where he was. The corridor he stepped into was somewhat similar to Hogwarts, what with the stone pillars and walls, but again Snape was sure that he hadn't come across it in the castle he normally resided in.

By the time he had reached the window at the end of the corridor, Severus had deducted that he had in fact travelled to a castle, but where it was he still wasn't sure. The window in front of him was large and neatly patterned, and he deduced that wherever he was, it was a fairly well-to-do area.

When he leant out of the window, he was confronted with a rather picturesque but altogether strange sight. There was a stone-paved courtyard, circled in the castle buildings which gave many entrances from which men and women were coming and going. A group of men in knight attire wandered through the square, laughing together and waving at various ladies, who wore beautiful medieval-looking gowns with long flowing skirts. Horses were being groomed and mounted by a number of gentlemen who wore leather hunting jackets and tall boots.

The whole atmosphere was exciting and Snape felt compelled to move closer to the scene playing out before him. He located a staircase and hurtled down it, wand still clutched in his hand. Winding his way through corridors, he eventually found a door which lead out onto the beautiful courtyard.

The noise hit him like a slap in the face and he felt like being carried away into it. One of the strange things he noticed was that the place was reminiscent of the early centuries of Old England, and the sound of the lute which a fancily clad boy was playing only increased his confusion, but Snape found he didn't care. He almost forgot all about his troubles, he felt like melting into it—

"Oi! You there!"

The angry sounding voice had come from behind Snape, accompanied by quick footsteps. Severus turned round slowly and was caught on the collar by what he assumed was a guard from the way he was dressed.

"Who are you?" the huge, bulky man questioned, "And what is your business in Camelot?"

"I-I was just…" Snape attempted to form words but he could find no reasonable way to explain how he had appeared in…was this really Camelot? The evidence was piling up. After a few seconds of stammering, the guard narrowed his eyes and stepped forwards.

"A night in the cells ought to help you remember," he said with a twisted smile, pacing forwards and taking Snape into a tight grip with his skinny hands wrenched behind his back.

And just like that, Snape found himself being carried through the bustling square across to a darker building, where he was taken down steps and thrust in a cell.


	7. Business in Camelot

**Chapter 7! Yay!**

**It's been ages since the last chapter (I was on holiday) so I'm very sorry but I have weeks of freedom left before Year 13 starts (I think you call it 12th Grade or Senior Year in the US) so I'll have another few chapters up before September.  
**

**If you're stuck with any spells, I just looked the words I needed up on an old English translator - the one in this chapter is a releasing spell.  
**

**Series 5 of Merlin comes out in the UK on September 29th and I'm VERY EXCITED. Also I'm very jealous of anyone who went to SDCC  
**

**I really hope you like this chapter and I hope I get reviews/follows/favourites (I get very happy when I see them).  
Thank you!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or Harry Potter**

* * *

As Merlin lay on the floor of his dusty chambers, he attempted to move his suddenly heavy limbs. But however hard he tried, the only movable parts of him were his two blue eyes. If he was honest, Merlin felt like quite a fool. This boy, Severus had showed up in his chambers brandishing an apparently powerful magic wand and doing nothing whatsoever to make Merlin trust him. But he had.

Perhaps it was the youth's naivety or sunken eyes. Merlin scolded himself. After all these years he should have known better than to trust anybody who walked into Camelot without a great deal of investigation. And now this boy had escaped. Merlin had let him run off into the middle of Camelot, and although the boy looked convincingly unaware and bemused about his whereabouts, he could be an assassin or thwarted sorcerer of the Old Religion come to kill the King for all he knew.

He had to do something, and lying on the floor petrified wasn't going to do any good. Having practised magic for a number of years now, he knew practically every incantation which he needed, but it was a while before he performed the appropriate spell of release.

"_Líhting"_

He was free. Jumping to his feet, Merlin swiftly exited his chambers and Gaius' room, sprinting through the corridors as fast as one possibly could when one was constantly looking into doorways and behind his shoulder for a 16 year-old sorcerer. He was just making his way to the stone steps leading to the courtyard when one of the King's attendants stopped in his path.

"The King wishes for you to be present at the questionings immediately in the Great Hall," the attendant said quickly, "The hearing is to be held in 5 minutes."

Merlin sighed. He knew that if he didn't go, he'd only find some kind of repercussions. He'd have to search for Severus later.

By the time Merlin reached the Great Hall, most of King Arthur's main court had assembled for the questioning: an event which occurred every week or so and brought any prisoners of the cells for questions on their business in Camelot.

Arthur was sitting on his throne, tapping his fingers impatiently on the arm of it. He looked up when Merlin entered and gave him an annoyed look.

"About time, Merlin! We've all been waiting for you!" Merlin gave an apologetic dip of the head and made his way to the assembly. The King gestured to the guards by the door, who went outside and brought in the first of the prisoners. It was a timid looking old-woman with a hunched back and thin wispy hair. She looked petrified as she was brought to the King.

Arthur looked down at the woman, who he towered over on his raised platform. He had been dressed in some of his darkest, most threatening robes so Merlin could understand the woman's fear, but Merlin had to admit that the questionings now were not as bad as they once were when Uther was ruling. In fact, Arthur was quite forgiving and gentle, although he would never want to give that impression.

"What brings you to Camelot?" he asked the woman in a quiet but strong voice, "What do you seek?"

The woman looked up with big eyes.

"I seek to sell my wares in the marketplace. My home in Haldor was destroyed by fire and I was left with only the produce in my fields. I need to sell it to make repairs and care for my orphan grandchildren."

Arthur nodded, and then looked to the guards.

"What was this woman carrying on arrival?" The tallest guard brought forwards a cart which was filled fairly modestly with vegetables and lavender. The King considered this for a moment, then stepped down so he was on the same level as the timid woman. He held out his hand to her and helped her to the door.

"This woman is permitted a stall in the marketplace. She will be allowed entry to the grounds every morning of the market as early as she likes."

One of the King's advisors stepped forwards.

"And what will be her payment for the stall?" he asked the King – it was generally the case that each market stall holder would give a fraction of the profits for the right to sell in Camelot.

"She will not have to pay a fee," said the King, "But she must provide the Queen with lavender perfume whenever she needs it."

The woman squealed with glee and ran up to the King, hugging him. The guards were quick to pull her off, but with a wave of Arthur's hand, she was permitted to go. The next two prisoners were men who had come to become Knights. The King allowed them a short training course and then a trial to test their ability. If successful, they would be allowed to stay as a Knight, or less successful: a guard.

"How many more do we have?" Arthur asked the guards, and received the reply that there was only one. The final prisoner was brought in and placed before the King before Merlin had a chance to get a look at him. When he did, he found to his great shock that it was the boy, Severus Snape, looking dishevelled and terrified.

"And you," Arthur said, "The guards tell me you were brought in just this afternoon. It's quite lucky you could be trialled now without spending a night in the cells."

Snape looked like he wasn't sure if he should reply. By the way Arthur tapped his foot, it seemed like he should.

"What brings you to Camelot? I see you came only with a small stick from a tree in your robes"

But still, Severus remained silent. He seemed either too scared or too confused to come up with a simple explanation. It certainly didn't look like he was guilty of trying to do harm.

Many seconds passed and the court was growing restless, the boy growing even more terrified all the while.

"I'm afraid," said King Arthur, "That if you do not reply then we will treat your appearance in Camelot with some suspicion. What is your business here?"

"I-I-I'm visiting family," Severus managed to finally stutter out.

"I see. And this family lives in Camelot?"

"Y-yes."

"Right. We've got somewhere!" Arthur exclaimed in an exasperated voice, "It took long enough! Who is your family?"

"Er…" Merlin could see by the fear in his eyes that Severus did not have an answer for this. He then did something which he knew was probably quite foolish, especially considering the fact that this boy had done nothing to deserve this. Merlin stepped forwards.

"I am."


	8. The Half Brother Prince

**Hello! Chapter 8 is up! Hooray! I feel productive.**

**So I've been looking at my stats and it looks like my main readership is USA and UK, so I thought I'd do little shoutouts. USA people, if any of you could get me a visa so I can come and live there, that'd be great :) UK people, I hope that any AS and A2 results were good (I had mine and they were fine to my relief) and good luck for GCSEs!  
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**I've been getting messages like "Is this Snape/Merlin slash?" NO IT IS NOT. THAT WOULD BE WEIRD. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for slash and I actively ship Merthur to my heart's content (we maaay see some, not explicit though, but I haven't decided), but Snape and Merlin? Ew.  
**

**I love love love reviews so any are always appreciated :) Thank you! Enjoy x  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or Harry Potter  
**

* * *

Snape looked up. That sounded like the man who had brought him here, who he had just performed a body-bind on. But it couldn't be. Even if he'd managed to escape in the short time Snape had been away, why would he help his attacker?

The man who had been questioning Snape – who appeared to be the King of Camelot (if this really was Camelot, and Snape could say that however much he didn't want to believe, it was looking more and more like this was the case) – looked over Snape's shoulder to where the voice had come from.

"_Mer_lin!" the King sighed in an agitated voice, "You idiot! I've been questioning this boy for ten minutes! Why didn't you think to say something earlier?"

"Erm…I'm sorry, Sire" replied Merlin (if Snape accepted that he'd travelled back in time to Camelot, then he supposed that he would have to accept that this man could indeed be the ancient warlock), "I didn't want to disturb you."  
"You're unbelievable, Merlin!" he turned back to Snape, "I'm extremely sorry that you have the misfortune of being related to this fool. How are you related?" He looked towards Merlin, and at this point Snape did the same.

"He's my, err, half-brother. Our mother has been taken ill."

"I wasn't aware that you had a brother, Merlin," replied the King, but the edge had been taken off his voice and Snape could tell that Merlin had noticed this as his shoulders relaxed.

"You never asked, Sire," he said with a cheeky smile, and Snape thought he saw the King smile back.

"Very well the Merlin, you can take your half-brother away now. Just make sure he doesn't go wandering around the castle any more."

Snape felt relieved and grateful, but he had to admit that he also felt disappointed. He was going to be stuck here for an indeterminate amount of time, and the King's last words indicated that the time he did spend here would be long and he would be confined to the room where Merlin lived.

He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure if this was appropriate. Then again, Merlin had spoken quite freely with the King, so he must be a rather easygoing ruler. He decided to take his chance.

"Erm, Sire?" he spoke with a quiet voice, and the King turned his head to look at Snape. With a nod of the King's head, he continued.

"I was wondering, that is, I was just thinking, that maybe…I could be more useful to…to Camelot."

The King didn't appear to be offended, and the other prisoners had left the hall looking happy, so Snape felt safe to carry on.

"Well, I don't think I'll be much use to…to Merlin, so I wanted to ask if I could have some sort of work to do?"

The King frowned slightly, then looked to Merlin.

"Do you think he's up to it, Merlin? Is he trustworthy?"

Merlin turned his head so he was staring straight at Snape. He seemed unsure, and Snape could understand why, after all, he'd done nothing to make this man trust him. He had to do something. _I'm sorry,_ Snape mouthed, with pleading eyes. Merlin looked considerate, then turned back to the King.

"He'll be fine."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Snape looked at Merlin.

"Well? How do I look?"

Snape and his new roommate were standing in his room next to Snape's new makeshift bed which Merlin had managed to summon using magic (leading Snape to accept even further that this was Merlin), whilst Snape tried on his new clothes.

Merlin had given him some of his old garments, since his black Hogwarts robes were dusty and caused more nuisance than was necessary. Snape was wearing dark brown trousers, a black woven jacket and a green cotton t-shirt in a green colour not unlike the colour of the Slytherin crest. Around his neck he wore a washed-out grey scarf.

Snape felt slightly surprised that the clothes he was given were altogether quite clean and suitable; he had expected fashion in this era to be a lot more modest. But to be honest, it was hard enough coming to terms with the fact that he had travelled to a different era. He'd meddled with time before when he came across a time-turner that James Potter and Sirius Black had stolen from a Professor's office in fourth year, but he'd only travelled a couple of hours into the past. He had to know more.

"Er…Merlin?" he asked the young warlock standing by him, "Where – I mean, when, are we?"

Merlin chuckled at the boy, who seemed to have been forgiven after they had discussed their original disbelief and come to terms with their situation. "This is Camelot, and I'm not really sure what you mean by when, but we're past the times of the old religion and our land is split up into many kingdoms now. Does that help?"

Past the time of the old religion? Snape was one of the only ones who had paid attention in History of Magic and he was pretty sure that the old religion of England, and the legends of Camelot which he had read about, were around in the 5th to 6th centuries! Even if it was as late as the 12th Century, as there was no clear date, Snape had travelled over as millennium into the past.

This was too much. Snape sat down on this bed, the thought of just where he was finally sinking in.

"I'm in Camelot."

Merlin grinned at him. "Yes you are."

"You're Merlin."

"I am."

"This is real."

"Yes."

"Right. So…tell me about Camelot."


	9. The First Night in Camelot

**Sorry it took a while to update but I had severe writer's block. The trouble I'm having is that there isn't a strict plan I'm following: I have some ideas but they change as I'm writing. I have some ideas which I'll definitely do.**

**I hope you're all enjoying it as much as I love writing it. I've dabbled in writing before but I've never been able to stick with anything like i am with this, so I'm giving myself numerous pats on the back. I hope you like this chapter, feel free to review!  
**

**If you like fan songs, I've written a number of Merlin and HP ones which you can find on my Youtube channel: aliceisafan - sorry for the shameless promotion!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or Harry Potter.**

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"You do understand, don't you?" Merlin said to Severus Snape with a grave look, "You can never perform magic, whether it's with your wand or without. Arthur may be a great King but he still somewhat believes that magic is a force of evil"

"I understand. As for his attitude to magic, I can't expect that what his sister – Morgana, was it – did helped him to warm to the idea," Severus replied, and Merlin had to agree. As far as Arthur was concerned, he had lost his whole family to magic in one way or another. No wonder he was so afraid.

Severus looked as if he wanted to ask something but was stopping himself, so Merlin gave him a reassuring smile. For the past few hours, Merlin had been sat down in his chambers, talking Severus through where he was and what life was like in Camelot. With each new piece of information, no matter how scared the boy looked, he always nodded and when tested he always remembered every detail. Merlin thought to himself that the boy would be a good scholar.

Severus spoke again. "Do you think, I mean, in your opinion, will the King ever change his mind? Can you ever tell him about your magic?"

Merlin laughed. This was the question he asked himself day after day, almost every time that he was with Arthur, longing to be able to be free. But deep down he knew that he may never safely reveal his secret.

"It's late," Merlin said by way of reply, "We've been talking for hours. You need some sleep before your first day in the stables."

Severus chuckled. He'd said to Merlin that when he'd asked for work he'd expected some sort of tough medieval labour, perhaps making swords in the armoury or going out on hunts, but Merlin convinced him that the stables weren't too bad, as long as one didn't fall asleep and let the horses escape.

"It should be interesting," said the boy with a smile, "I like horses."

"You have them a lot where you're from?" Merlin asked, surprised.

"There was a field near where I lived, a pasture full of horses. As a child I used to sit there with Lily whilst they stood around us."

"Lily?" Merlin asked, confused. He suddenly realised that during the whole time speaking about his own life in Camelot, Merlin had never stopped to ask about Severus' life in – Hagwarts, was it?

"Lily Evans," Severus said to him, giving what must have been the biggest smile he'd seen from the boy. He didn't say any more, and Merlin didn't feel the need to push him.

"You should retire," Merlin said, and made his way to the door, "I have to turn down the King's bed for him and then I'll sleep too. Good night."

"Merlin, wait," said Severus behind Merlin, who turned around.

"What is it?"

"Thank you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx

Merlin was awake and dressed at the crack of dawn as per usual, ready for another day of serving Arthur. When he was younger and recently aware of his magical abilities, Merlin would always imagine a future different to the life he had now. He always imagined deserving something better. He had to stop himself getting resentful.

Merlin was just pulling on his boots when there was a murmur from the other side of the room.

"Severus? Are you awake?"

An answering grunt told Merlin that he was, so he made his way over to the bed. He crouched down so that he was at the same level as the boy.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours after I've finished my morning jobs," he said to Severus, who was blinking at him with tired eyes, "If you can be ready by then, I'll come back and show you where to go. See you later."

Merlin stood up and made his way to the door again, turning round briefly to wave at Severus before exiting his chambers. He was walking across the main room of Gaius' quarters when he heard a noise behind him. Quickly, he whipped round to face the direction that the disturbance had come from. The corner of the room was dark in the early morning so he wasn't able to see.

"_Scin scire" _he whispered and squinted into the now illuminated corner of the room. He could make out a figure, so he stepped forwards cautiously to see the person more clearly.

"Merlin? Is that you?"

"Gaius!" Merlin was surprised, albeit relieved, to hear the old man's voice. Gaius came out of the corner so Merlin could see him completely, and although he was slightly dishevelled, Merlin's father-figure looked very well.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon," Merlin said to him, pulling him in for a hug, "How was your trip?"

Gaius smiled. "As good as could be expected, I suppose. I think I managed to quell the outbreak of the flu. We did lose one man, but he was weak anyway, there was nothing I could do."

Merlin could see that Gaius was attempting to be positive but he knew that each death still hit the old man hard.

"Well, you did what you could," he said with a small smile, "Now I really must go, Arthur will need attending."

"Merlin," Gaius called, "Who was it I heard you talking to?"

Merlin stopped in his tracks. He didn't know how he was going to explain the recent turn of events to Gaius without him worrying.

"Gaius," he began in a careful voice, "I don't quite know how to put this…we have a…visitor from…another time."

Gaius' mouth opened then closed. "How's that?" he asked with a bewildered look on his face.

"There's a boy in my chambers, and I'm not quite sure how it occurred, but he was brought here to Camelot by a spell that I performed. He says that he is from the future. I've told the King that he's my half-brother and he's to stay in my chambers."

Gaius' confused face had changed into one of shock and then anger as Merlin told his story.

"Merlin! How could you be so foolish?" he shouted, "This could be anybody. He could be a danger to the Kingdom, did you ever think of that?"

"Yes, I mean, well, I don't think he is," said Merlin in a rush, "He's just a boy and you know I have good intuition. I'm sure he's perfectly safe."

"Well, there's only one way to know for sure, isn't there?" Gaius replied, still looking stern.

"What's that?"

"It's time I made some Veritaserum."


	10. Veritaserum

**Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry! I haven't written a chapter for aaaaages! I thought I'd have loads of time but apparently the first week back at school means you get LOADS OF WORK. I hate A levels.**

**So I meant to start Snape at his work in this chapter but there was too much to talk about so I couldn't fit it into this one! The next one though!  
**

**I'm anxiously awaiting series 5 of Merlin; if any of you know if it is confirmed for 29th Sept or another date then please tell me, I'm going mad here! Thank you so much for any reviews, favourites, follows and even reads; they make me happy :) I hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Merlin**

* * *

Merlin had left a couple of minutes ago, leaving the room that Snape was in to be pleasantly quiet. Severus was grateful for the bed he had been given but it had to be said that Merlin was a very noisy sleeper, mumbling every now and then and occasionally shouting out things like "Clotpole!" and "Arthur!"

Now Merlin had left, Snape decided that he would allow himself an hour or so to have a nap. His eyelids began to droop, and he felt as if he was drifting away…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx

Snape woke up with a start to the sound of a sharp knocking at the door. His head shot up to the doorway as the old wooden door swung open. Standing in the threshold was an old man. Snape jumped and shuffled back on the bed until he was right up against the dusty wall, as if being backed into a corner would somehow help him.

The man had long grey hair down below his ears and a kindly looking face (although this wasn't something that Snape spent long dwelling on considering the circumstances), and he was carrying a small vial of a clear but shimmering liquid. He made his way into the room as Snape stared in trepidation at the man.

"You're Severus Snape?" the man asked in a low, gruff voice and when Snape replied with a timid nod he stepped forwards through the doorway.

A noise behind the man made Snape look over his shoulder and his heart rate slowed slightly as he saw that Merlin was standing behind him with a nervous and sheepish look on his face.

"Severus," Merlin said, carefully stepping round Gaius so he could walk over to Snape who was still sitting into the corner of the bed, "This is Gaius. He just returned two hours ago as you were waking up. He'd like to ask you a few questions, about…about why you're here." Merlin had told Snape about Gaius the night before, about how their relationship was like father and son, so he was bewildered.

"I thought you trusted me," Snape said, "You know how I got here."

Merlin gave him an apologetic look. "I do, Severus, but I'm afraid that Gaius isn't so easy-going. Camelot is the target of a lot of dark magic and I understand his concern. I'm sorry, but he has to make sure."

He had a point, Snape had to admit, but he didn't like the way he was being practically ambushed in the morning. He looked over to the man, Gaius, again and his eyes fell to the vial of liquid that he was holding in his hand. Snape knew his potions very well and this one looked quite a lot like…

"Is that Veritaserum?" Snape asked as he gestured to the potion he had just recognised.

"You know of this concoction?" Gaius queried in a surprised voice as he held it up to the light. Merlin was looking at Snape with a curious expression.

"Yes," he replied, "I've brewed it at school. I was the only fifth year in a decade to manage it. Besides Lily."

"I didn't know that you used the recipes of the Old Religion in your time," said Merlin, "How strange that you should know of it."

Snape would have said that Merlin looked rather proud and even impressed at this new piece of information, but the same could not be said for Gaius.

"Then you'll be aware of its effects?" asked the old man with a stern look on his face and a raised eyebrow.

Snape suddenly realised what this meant. "You…you're going to use it on me?" He was filled with a sudden fear. The books he read had told him all about the sensation one felt whilst being forced to tell the truth and although he had nothing to hide, he knew it wouldn't exactly be a pleasant experience. He attempted to stall for time.

"I was under the impression," Snape was once again addressing the old man, "That you had to leave the potion to mature for a full lunar phase. How is it that you were able to brew it so quickly?"

"I found the potion I needed in my stores; I had brewed it a month ago," the man replied, eyebrow still raised, "It was then just a question of adding the necessary final ingredients."

Unfortunately this made sense and Snape had no further defence or questions. He knew what was coming. Merlin sat down on the bed and, with a reassuring smile, helped him to get out of the bed and sit on the chair which had been placed in the room. He sat down slowly and saw Gaius hand Merlin the potion.

"I can let you do it yourself, if you'd like," Merlin said, for which Snape was grateful. He took the vial, tipped back his head and drank the potion in one gulp.

It was as if his entire mind was a book that had been opened up, pages spread far apart and words clear for everyone to see. True, he didn't have any secrets to concern these men, but even so he cursed himself for not having snuck into the Occlumency class for seventh years that ran at Hogwarts every year. His mind was available for Merlin and Gaius to dip into at leisure. He didn't like it.

Snape was still stuck in this eerie daze when he saw Gaius crouch down in front of him and look into his eyes.

"Are you Severus Snape?" he asked in his grave voice.

"Yes," Snape found himself saying the words without even realising that he'd spoken.

"How did you come to be in Camelot?"

Again the words slid from Snape without his control. "I found a gleaming sword in the strawberry bushes in my school. It brought me here."

Gaius nodded. "Do you have magic?"

"I can perform magic. I can perform it with my wand."

"Could you perform it without such an instrument?"

"I'm not sure," Snape replied, looking up to Merlin who was attempting to look reassuring, "I've heard that some people can, but I've never been able to."

"Do you mean any harm to Camelot, its people, Merlin or the King?"

"I do not."  
The questions carried on for a few minutes as Gaius leafed through Snape's mind. The feeling of being examined so freely was strange and he didn't even notice what he was saying until after the words had fallen from his mouth. Finally, after what seemed like one hundred questions, Gaius (and Merlin) seemed satisfied that Snape was trustworthy and safe. As he stood up from his chair, Snape still felt peculiar in the head but he knew the effects would wear off and he was already feeling more at ease in his surroundings.

Merlin gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"You did well," he said with a grin, "But now it's time for work, I'm afraid!"

Snape smiled. After the morning he'd had, he didn't think that some sweeping in the stables would be anything less than a relief.

"I'll get ready now. Thank you, Merlin."

Merlin grinned and gave Snape a cheery thumbs-up before walking out of the door. Snape found himself smiling.

"He's a good man, you know," Gaius said suddenly to Snape, who turned to him in surprise, "His destiny is so great that I sometimes fear for him."

"I know he is," Snape replied, "And I promise you that I will not cause him or you any trouble."

Gaius smiled for the first time that Snape had seen, and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Thank you," he said, "And welcome to Camelot."


	11. Keeping Up Appearances

**1 week until Merlin series 5! **

**I wanted to post a chapter today because I'm just so excited! Aaaah! Twitter ****( aliceisafan , if you're interested) i****s coming alive right now with Merlin fans awakening from their slumber and I LOVE IT. **

**S****orry if you're not getting it in your country next week, but it'll be worth the wait and I won't do any spoilers on here.  
**

**The fact that there's a new season is going to make my job a bit harder as I'll have to make sure I keep it on the same storyline I have planned and don't get swayed by the canon plot, but I'll try to make it as exciting as I can!  
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**The 'A Song of Ice and Fire' character reference near the end is for my brother, who asked me to do it! He won't be a particularly important character, it's mainly for fun.  
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**I really really hope you like this chapter! I've tried writing things before and this is all I've stuck at!  
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**Okay I've gabbled on for too long now, enjoy! Please review, follow, etc :) xxx  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or Harry Potter  
**

* * *

Merlin waited patiently for Severus just outside his chambers. Gaius had exited the room and was now getting on with his daily business. He seemed in a good mood, humming as he arranged the jars of ingredients on the shelves, his overgrown hair tucked behind his ears. Merlin could say that he felt quite relieved; Severus was indeed trustworthy. The poor boy was scared, if anything.

Merlin could barely imagine what it would be like to be taken from the place one felt most at home and dropped into another time and place. He supposed he might feel torn, lost, not like he did in Camelot. Although…it was true that he could never really be complete in Camelot – not without being able to practise magic freely and truly be himself – but here in Camelot with Gaius and Arthur: this was as close to belonging as he could hope for. He must try to remember the positives in his life, to avoid falling into ideas of darkness.

The door of Merlin's chambers opened with a squeak of the hinges and Snape stepped over the threshold. He was dressed in the clothes Merlin had given him the night before – Merlin felt quite satisfied with what he had been able to pull together for the boy – but despite being well-dressed, Merlin had to admit that the boy still looked slightly dishevelled.

"Er…" Merlin began, trying to decide how to voice his apprehension.

Severus' face fell. "Do I look horrible?"

"No!" Merlin said quickly, seeing the boy's distraught look, "You look fine. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"It's your hair," Merlin admitted, "It's just a bit…untidy."

Severus looked down.

"It's…it's not that bad," Merlin said, attempting to make him feel better, but now he had said it, it was becoming even more obvious to him that the way his greasy hair fell around his face and covered it in shadows made him look a little…unapproachable.

"Maybe," Merlin tried in a gentle voice, "Maybe I could smarten you up a bit. I could make you look much more groomed. Maybe…help the ladies of court to look at you favourably?"

Severus looked up and smiled, much to Merlin's relief.

"Thank you Merlin."

Merlin smiled at the boy.

"Well come on then, sit down! I'll sort you out!"

Severus looked fairly eager, going to sit down on one of the chairs by the dining table which Merlin and Gaius ate at. Merlin crossed the room to the cupboard where Gaius kept his medical instruments and took a small pair of cutting apparatus from it, while Gaius gave him an amused smile.

Merlin walked to where Severus was sitting and examined his head. It really was rather greasy, as if the boy saw no reason to keep up appearances. Gaius brought over a bucket of water and gestured for Severus to lean over it. He did so, and Merlin took the sponge out of the bucket and squeezed it over the boy's head, then dunked the sponge back into the water and repeated.

When Severus' dark hair was suitably wet, Gaius passed him one of the cosmetic potions that he kept – these were sold to great profit to the likes of Gwaine and the ladies of the court. This particular concoction was produced out of the juice of special berries which had to be collected at dawn (much to the displeasure of Merlin, whose task it was to collect them) and was intended to soften hair. Merlin knew that Gaius didn't have much time for such potions, in fact he often told Merlin to produce them.

After applying the ointment and then rinsing Severus' hair, Merlin took a bar of soap from the table and washed the boy's face vigorously while he squirmed and squeezed his eyes shut. Once satisfied that Severus was perfectly clean (above the shoulders, at least), he picked up the cutting apparatus and brought them over to Severus' hair, unsure where to begin.

"Ahem," said Gaius, "Perhaps it would be better if I cut the boy's hair. If you do it he might not have any left!"

Merlin rolled his eyes and tried not to get too agitated at this remark, handing the cutters to Gaius with a shrug, then turning round and going about preparing breakfast for the three of them. Merlin was thankful that Severus had managed to find paid work so early: despite Merlin's hard labour and extra load, Arthur hadn't thought to give him a pay rise. To be honest, it was like Arthur didn't really consider Merlin to be paid help at all, the way he behaved around him.

Merlin could hear Gaius snipping away at Severus' hair as he heated up the food. Gaius was the one who gave Merlin his monthly haircuts. They were fine, but Gaius had taken to cutting his hair shorter and shorter each time, possibly so that the cuts would be further apart.

Once breakfast was prepared, he carried the bowls over to the table and walked over to the chair. Gaius had nearly finished cutting: he had cut off a significant length but there was still a decent amount of hair from what he could see, although he couldn't get a good view.

With one last snip, Gaius turned around to face Merlin.

"Could you dry him off?" he asked, "It'll be cold today." Merlin could hear in Gaius' voice the fatherly tone which he often encountered. The old man had obviously taken a shine to the boy. Merlin smiled and held his hand over Severus' head.

"_Adrúge_"

The hair was dried immediately. Gaius handed Severus a clean rag to wipe his face with and the two residents of Camelot sat down to begin breakfast hungrily. Merlin ate in big mouthfuls – he remained surprised at how skinny he always remained no matter how much food Gaius made him eat – and was halfway through his bowl when he heard Severus sit down.

He looked up at him and was surprised by what he saw. The haircut was now soft and fluffy and hung just above his ears neatly, with a rather odd but admittedly smart fringe which swept across half his face from a side parting. The boy's nose seemed oddly less abnormally large when there weren't shadows around it, and Merlin could see his eyes, which were an eerie but mystical and glimmering onyx black. Although Merlin deduced that he could only be about 16 years old, the wisdom in his eyes (not unlike Merlin's) made him look older and more intriguing.

It was a great improvement, and Merlin felt proud of the work he and Gaius had done. Severus would surely gain respect in the kingdom.

After both Merlin and Severus had finished their breakfast, Merlin accompanied him down to the stables where he was to work caring for the horses. The pair chatted in a comfortable manner as they walked side by side across the courtyard.

They arrived at the stable door to see the two stable hands, Aebba and Hodor, waiting for Severus.

"You must be Severus," said Aebba with a friendly smile, "I'm Aebba and this is Hodor."

"Hodor," said the tall stable hand, nodding at Severus.

Aebba was a fair girl of 16, and her father was one of the King's most trusted members of court. She held out her hand and Severus politely shook it, smiling at her and she at him. _I see our tidying up has worked,_ Merlin thought to himself happily.

"I'll leave you here, shall I?" he said to Severus, patting him on the shoulder, "You'll be in good hands."

Severus nodded.

"Thank you again, Merlin."

"You're welcome," Merlin grinned, "And good luck!"


	12. Trek in the Woods

**Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry! This chapter is so late! ****Two words: A Levels.  
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**Anyway, Merliiiiiiinnnn! I won't do any spoilers but omg, the episodes which have come out were amazing!  
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**I've planned what's going to happen in each chapter from here so there's a sense of direction now. I'm anticipating about 13 more chapters of varying lengths.  
**

**I hope you're enjoying the story! It's the first time I've been able to stick to writing anything.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or Harry Potter.  
**

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The sun was shining in Camelot and it fell onto the cobbles of the courtyard in rays which blinked through the towers of the castle. Merlin had taken his jacket off and was quite content with the morning heat which shone on his face as he prepared the horses for a trip which he, Arthur, Gwaine and a few other knights were to take to the outer regions of Camelot to investigate reports of an intrusion by Alined's men.

It wasn't the first time that the King's men had acted up in various Kingdoms of Albion. A few years previously, King Alined had attempted to provoke war amongst the Kings who had come to Camelot to arrange a Peace Treaty. Merlin and Arthur had between them (though Arthur didn't know of Merlin's part in the plans) managed to prevent such an occurrence and the Kingdom had more or less fallen into a state of peace. But recently, Camelot had been receiving reports that Alined was in Camelot once more, this time terrorising residents of the outlying villages for money.

Arthur had told Merlin that they were to take this trip shortly after Merlin had seen Snape into his new job, so he had left a note for Gaius asking him to act as the boy's guardian. Merlin assumed that the trip would last no more than a few days, provided that Arthur was able to bargain with the King quickly.

Snape had in fact delivered the horses himself to the courtyard so Merlin was able to tell him of the situation then. Other than looking slightly worried, he took it well and Merlin did not anticipate any problems. It was almost early afternoon when the group managed to set off, with Arthur heading the troop and Merlin close behind, followed by Gwaine and the rest of the knights (there were about 5 or 6). The bags of supplies were split between the horses and their riders, with the exception of Arthur who had given Merlin his share.

As group trotted off into the woods, Merlin made sure he looked back to Camelot, as he always did when leaving the castle grounds. The journey he was going on would most likely not be a treacherous one, but Merlin had to make sure he got a good departing view in case he did not return.

The company progressed through the woods at a steady pace in silence for the next hour or so, with Arthur giving the odd order. After a certain amount of time, Arthur slowed down so he was riding alongside Merlin.

"I meant to tell you, Merlin," said the King, and Merlin looked to the side in interest, "In a few weeks we're to have a council meeting to review the laws of the Kingdom. There hasn't been a proper review of the laws for years, not since before my father died."

Arthur's voice cracked. It had been almost two years since Uther had been struck down and though Arthur was not one to show emotions, Merlin knew that he still felt sorrow when he talked about his late father.

"I see," said Merlin in a careful voice, "Would you like me to prepare the parchments or gather members of council?" It was often Merlin's job – now he had such an in-depth knowledge of Camelot after working there for so long – to organise events such as this on top of his regular serving duties. He was frequently responsible for making sure all of the members of council knew what was to be discussed, and also for deciding who would be able to attend.

"Actually, Merlin," Arthur said, "I believe that somebody else will be taking care of that. You do not need to concern yourself with that task."

"Oh."

Merlin had to admit that he was disappointed. He thought that he'd proven himself over the years and during the times when he'd done these jobs. Perhaps somebody more efficient had come along. _This is understandable_, he tried to tell himself. Slowing down the pace of his riding, Merlin looked over his shoulder and made to ride beside Gwaine, who smiled at him.

"Merlin, wait," said Arthur in an amused voice, "You haven't heard what I want you to do."

Merlin rode forward again hesitantly.

"I would like you to be at the council. And not just to sit in. I would like you to take part in the talks."

"You…you what?"  
"I think you're ready now. Goodness, you know more about the running of Camelot than most of the newest council members anyway. We could use your input."

Merlin was lost for words. Of course, he had often thought about the moment when he would be able to act as an official adviser for Arthur, rather than just a guiding voice in his ear, but he never expected it to actually happen. This meant that Arthur has confidence in him. Maybe he could help Arthur to see that magic isn't always evil. Maybe he could change Arthur's mind…

By nightfall, the company had made good progress, not encountering any problems on the way. The group came to a fork in the path created by tracks, and they all decided that it would be a good time for a rest, so the group turned to the left fork and made their way out of the woods to a nearby town.

It turned out that Gwaine was acquainted with the owner of the one of the inns in the town and this, along with the fact that it was a quiet night, meant they could have rooms for the night rather than having to sleep on the forest floor.

After an evening in the tavern, the knights retired to their allotted rooms. Merlin was to share with Arthur as he usually did, and although the King snored loudly, it was always quite calming for Merlin to know that he was in the same room as Arthur. Perhaps it was because he felt responsible for him, so it was comforting to know where he was, or perhaps it was that his sleep noises reminded him of Camelot.

Merlin had only been asleep for a few hours when he woke up to the light of the morning and to a sharp rapping on the door.

"My lord," Sir Percival's head peeked round the doorway, much to Merlin's surprise as he had not been part of the trip.

Arthur looked up groggily at the knight.

"What is it, Percival?" he asked in a sleepy voice, "What's going on?"

"I bring news from Camelot," he said, "The Queen is with child."


	13. Settling In

**Once again, I have to apologise. Work's been getting on top of me lately plus I had writer's block. But here's chapter 13!**

**I'm very much enjoying Merlin (don't worry, there are no spoilers here!) but I don't want it to finish :(  
**

**I hope you like this chapter! I may have said before but I know what's happening in each one now, so it shooooould flow better!  
Thanks for reading! I hope you like it!  
**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Merlin or Harry Potter  
**

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"Stop! Stop!"

Snape chased after the horses, which were galloping away from the stables in a wild run, manes flying behind them. He had left the main stable door slightly ajar and it had swung open while he was pouring grain into the horses' feeding troughs. Two of the mares had taken their escape through the door and were now fleeing the stable area towards the open paddock gate, with Snape running desperately behind.

"Please, stop!" he cried to the two horses, who turned their heads and seemingly mocked him with dips of their noses.

_Oh god, _thought Snape, _I've failed on my second day of work._

Snape had to confess himself disappointed. He'd always assumed that he was good with horses, what with the amount of time he spent with them and the way that animals always seemed to be calm around him. In Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts, they had once had to care for half-Kneazle cats which a dotty old Squib - Mrs Figg, Snape remembered her name was - had bred; the felines had jumped at and scratched most of Snape's Slytherin classmates but his particular cat had sat on his lap and purred.

However, he didn't seem to have the same effect on horses; either that or they found it fun to mock him. They were at the paddock gates before Snape could get close to them. He wished he could have used _tarantallegra _– or at least a calming spell – to get them to stop, but he had to listen to what Merlin said. Magic was banned in this place, as much as he wished it wasn't, and he had to be careful. But imagining a land without magic seemed horrible. In History of Magic, Professor Binns had taught them about a time hundreds of years ago when magic was banned, but he had always assumed that it just referred to superstitious nonsense and witch trials in the 16th and 17th centuries – not a ban in somewhere as famous for its magic as Camelot.

Snape had to say that he was surprised. The man he was staying with must the real Merlin, the great sorcerer of legend; after all, it would be too much of a coincidence that he had powerful magical abilities, lived in Camelot and worked alongside King Arthur. But some of the things he'd seen just didn't add up with what he'd learnt at Hogwarts. Firstly, he'd been told that Merlin had attended Hogwarts himself in his time as a Slytherin, but Merlin hadn't heard of the school and Camelot was far away from the hills of the north where Hogwarts lay. And how was it that Merlin was yet to reveal his magic to his peers? It just didn't make sense.

All of this had run around Snape's mind since he had arrived and he continued to muse over it whilst chasing after the horses.

"Stop, please," he shouted, somewhat wearily – it wasn't going to work and he knew it. He slowed down to a stop and watched the horses helplessly, hoping somebody outside the paddock would intercept the mares in their path.

Luckily for him, this happened to be the case. Aebba and Hodor, Snape's two fellow stable hands, were walking down the pathway to the paddock at that moment, and Aebba jumped in front of one of the horses with calming hands whilst Hodor grabbed onto the saddle of the other, stopping it completely. The vast man took the reins of the first mare to, and walked them back to the stables with Aebba's aid.

"Having trouble?" asked Aebba with a smile.

"Sorry," said Snape, looking sheepish, "They ran off – they were out of my control."

"It's alright," she replied, "No harm done. You can come with me, Severus, and we'll prepare the horses for the hunting party later on. Hodor can calm these ladies down," she said with a nod to the two mares who had just escaped.

"Hodor." The man led the horses away.

Snape followed Aebba to the largest stable.

"We will need to wash them and prepare their hooves to make sure they're healthy for the patrol's hunt. You seem a little unsure so you can just wash them whilst I make sure the hooves are healthy. Then we can saddle them up. Is that okay?"

"That's fine."

Snape was taken aback. This girl was as young as him but she was so confident and bright, just like many of the other people he'd met. What struck him about Camelot was the sense of community. With the exception of the hatred of magic, the residents were all greeted by not only each other but also by the knights. King Arthur certainly lived up to the tales Snape had heard about him in History of Magic; he'd created a wonderful kingdom.

But still…he still missed Hogwarts. It was all very well making a life for himself here, but he'd have to go back some time. Could he, though? Maybe he'd be stuck here forever. Right at that moment, he wished nothing more than to see Hogwarts again…to see Lily.

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They finished preparing the horses before sundown and there was nothing much left for Snape to do, so Aebba let him leave with a cheery wave. He made his way to Gaius' room quickly, with the odd servant giving him a smile as he walked past, but he could barely smile back. The feeling of homesickness – Hogwarts _was_ his home really, wasn't it – was now overwhelming.

Gaius was preparing a potion on one of the tables in the centre of the room, comparing the dark-green coloured liquid with a page from a potions book which showed a lighter coloured potion. Frown lines appeared above his raised eyebrows as Snape made his way over.

"What are you making?" he asked, as Gaius started and almost spilled the potion he was holding.

"You've returned early, my boy," he said, turning round to greet Snape with a beam, "I'm currently brewing a potion known as the Wiggenweld draught. It is used to awaken those who were put to sleep by magical means."

"I've heard of that," said Snape, surprised to hear that name again, "We prepared it in Potions class in my fourth year."

Gaius raised his eyebrows.

"Really? I must say I'm surprised that such a potion would still be available in the time you lived." Snape shrugged. He too was slightly shocked at the similarities between each age.

"I've been having some trouble," said the old man, "I can't get this quite right. Would you be able to help me, since you've made it before? Of course, you're only young, so you may not be able to."

Snape looked into the cauldron, trying to remember what he'd done when he had this problem with the colour of the liquid.

"I think you need to add some more…powdered root of asphodel. Just a pinch. It should even out the colouring."

Gaius raised his eyebrow once again – he seemed to do that fairly frequently – and added some of what Snape had suggested. As he'd thought, Snape saw the a pool of light green in appear centre of the liquid until the potion was the desired colour.

"Well I never!" said Gaius with a surprise smile, "Thank you. You have good skills. Have you ever thought of going into potion-making?"

"Not really," he replied with a shrug, "I'm not good at all potions anyway, There are many that I've never even heard of. I meant to ask you something about a potion anyway."

"Ask away, my boy," said Gaius, "You've certainly earned a favour from me."

"It's not really medicinal, but I can't think of a spell I could use…but I wondered if there was any potion I could use that could show me home."

Gaius looked curious, so he continued.

"Perhaps it could work with the brain, possibly even a spell too? I just…I miss home. I miss…certain people."

"Well," said Gaius, putting his hand on Snape's shoulder sympathetically, "I daresay that it will be difficult. But I think I might have something."


	14. The Future Heir of Camelot

**Hi guys! Let me just start by saying how absolutely devastated I am about the announcement that Merlin will be ending after series 5. I'm really trying to make the most of the remaining episodes we have. On a brighter note, some of you may have heard about the mini-movie or "Harry Potter 9" as it has been dubbed. One door closes and another one opens, I guess?**

**This chapter took a while as I was umming and ahhing about what to include and what to save for later but I hope it's okay! Thanks for taking the time to read, favourite, follow and review (whichever you've done!) I hope you enjoy it!  
**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Merlin or Harry Potter**

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Merlin and Arthur arrived back at Camelot with Percival the following evening. Arthur had been hesitant to leave his knights but Merlin had convinced him that Gwaine would be more than capable of leading the group and dealing with Alined's men. It was Arthur's intention to meet with King Alined himself before the year was out in an attempt to resolve the apparent issues.

As they entered the gateway to the inner citadel, one of the stable hands greeted them and helped them with there horses. He was surprised not to see Severus but then he realised that he must have finished working a little earlier. Once the horses had been unloaded, Merlin waved at Arthur and made to return to his chambers, but the King stopped him.

"No, Merlin," he said, "I want you to come with me to see the Guinevere."

"Yes, Sire." He followed Arthur up the steps and through the castle to the King's chambers, chatting animatedly to him. Merlin knew that Arthur relied somewhat on Merlin's cheery chatter so he always tried to act as if all was "normal", although it was usually far from it.

The Queen was in bed when they entered, being tended to by a maid.

"Guinevere!" said Arthur, rushing to her side, "How are you? Are you well?"

"I'm quite well, Arthur," she said with a smile, "I've just been experiencing some back pain. Don't worry yourself."

"But how long has it been hurting? How far along are you? Has Gaius seen you yet? Where is Gaius?"

"Arthur, calm down," she replied, catching Merlin's eye and smiling, "Gaius has been called for and he's coming to check on me soon. There really isn't any need to worry."

Arthur sat down on the bed by Gwen's side as Merlin hovered by the bed.

"Why did you not tell me, my love?"

"I wasn't sure. I have been having problems in my body for a while, as you know. I didn't really understand them. But then I felt kicking and my belly was…larger than usual. I know I must be with child, but I didn't want to call for Gaius as I knew he was busy with issues in the lower town."

"You should have told somebody, my lady." said Merlin. He knew that Gwen was not one to voice any problems she had or make a fuss but it was strange that she hadn't called Gaius to examine her.

It was at that moment that Gaius entered the room, followed by Severus who was holding his medicine bag.

"My lady," said the old man, "A serving girl came to my chambers to tell me that you are carrying a baby and that I was to come to examine you immediately. Why wasn't I informed of this earlier?"

"I wasn't sure, Gaius!"

"You could have been seriously ill, my lady," replied Gaius, "Now, I must ask everybody to leave the room whilst I examine you."

Arthur walked from the room with a slight frown on his face and Merlin quickly followed him, with Severus shuffling behind the pair. They stood outside the doorway and Arthur pressed his ear up against the door in an attempt to hear what was going on, but eventually gave a frustrated sigh and leaned up against the wall.

Merlin hadn't seen him so stressed for a while, even when bargaining with other kingdoms over peace treaties, but since this baby was to be the heir to the throne of Camelot, he could understand some of his distress. The King massaged his temple with his fingertips and sighed, then lifted his head to speak to Merlin.

"I am worried, Merlin," he said in a pained voice, "Guinevere never mentioned anything to me. I can't think why not."

"I expect that she knew you'd get worried!" laughed Merlin. Guinevere certainly knew how Arthur got concerned over certain things and she knew how to deal with him too after being married to him for a while.

"I just…couldn't bear it if anything went wrong."

"I know Sire," replied Merlin in his softer voice, "But we must be positive and hope that all is well."

All this time, Severus had been standing awkwardly next to Merlin, who then turned to face them.

"Severus," Merlin said to him with a smile, "How was your day?" "It was fine, thank you, Merlin," he replied in a tense voice. Merlin saw his eyes dash nervously to Arthur and then back. He realised with a grin that the boy must be frightened of the King.

"It's all right, Severus," he said to the boy with a laugh, "He's nothing to worry about. He's a bit of a clotpole, really!"

"I'm warning you, Merlin," Arthur said, raising a pointed finger.

"What are you going to do, Arthur?" Merlin replied jovially.

"You wouldn't even begin to understand…"

"Sire, the Queen is ready to be seen now." Gaius had opened the door and was standing in the threshold. Merlin looked past him and saw Gwen sitting up in bed and smiling quite comfortably. He felt Arthur breathe a sigh of relief. They all entered the room and Arthur hurried over to Gwen on the bed.

"Is all well?"

She smiled. "Yes, Arthur, it's fine."

"How far along is she, Gaius?" Merlin asked him.

"I would say that she is no more than 22 weeks."

"TWENTY-TWO WEEKS?!" cried Arthur, "But how could you not have noticed before?"

"She had what some physicians refer to as a concealed pregnancy," replied Gaius in a calm voice, "It would have been difficult to fully detect an infant, although now it is clear that she is indeed rather far along."

"Thank you, Gaius."

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Back in Gaius' chambers a short while later, Merlin was looking through his old book of sorcery in an attempt to find a spell which, once combined with Gaius' mind-stimulating potion, might help Severus to see his home. Eventually he stumbled upon a spell which would work, but the method was lengthy so Severus agreed to try it in a few days when time was not so pushed.

Gaius retired to his chambers, leaving the two boys to discuss their sorcery. Merlin found it fascinating how Severus and the people in his time had to use these wands to produce magic. He supposed it was because there could have been some oppression of magic that caused the magic to move to a more passive control.

Merlin tried in vain to help Severus perform magic more like he did himself but it wasn't working.

"I just can't do it!" Severus said to him in a frustrated voice, "It's not working. Can I try to teach you some magic like I do?"  
"Of course," said Merlin, but I can't say that I'll be able to use a wand. Perhaps you could teach me an enchantment and I'll try it out."

"All right," said Snape, "I'll show you my favourite. It's very powerful but I can perform it okay. It's called the Patronus charm."

"How do I perform it?" asked Merlin, intruiged.

It took a fair while for Severus to explain to Merlin the theory of the enchantment, but eventually Merlin understood how it was to be performed. Severus demonstrated for him, producing a silvery substance from his wand which eventually exploded into the figure of a silver doe.

"That was beautiful," Merlin gasped, in awe of such stunning sorcery, "I hope my magic can produce such a thing."

"Well you are the most powerful sorcerer in history," Severus said to him with a grin as Merlin looked at him in shock, "We learnt about you at Hogwarts."

Merlin grinned. Was it really his destiny to become the greatest sorcerer in centuries? The Great Dragon had told him as much but he didn't dare believe.

"Go on then," said Severus, "Try the spell!"

Merlin raised his hand out in front of him and tried to think of the most powerful and happiest thought that he could summon up, as Severus had told him to.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Merlin's eyes turned gold and he felt his hands tremble with the force of the enchantment. He held his arm steady and looked towards his fingertips, where the silvery magical force was bursting out. The silver burst into a pool of platinum light and each lustrous drop of light swirled around the others until they gathered in the space above their heads. Merlin looked up as he saw a great glimmering dragon, the result of his magic, swooping through the air.


	15. In The Stables

**This is quite a quick update, I'm proud of myself! I wanted to get it done now as I won't have much time over Christmas. I really hope you enjoy it!**

**So tomorrow, 24th December, Merlin is going to end forever. *Sob.* I appreciate that this is a good point to end it but I'm not over the moon as you can probably guess.  
**

**I wanted to link Merlin and Harry Potter to each other a bit more, so the whole section about Snape's "destiny" when he's thinking about it is meant to be a reference to the "destinies are troublesome things" speech in S3 of Merlin (which incidentally inspired my fan song of the same name on youtube if you're interested! aliceisafan). It's not a very obvious reference so I thought I'd point it out!  
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**So...yeah! The story gets exciting from now on! I'm going to carry on with me storyline regardless of what happens in the finale tomorrow as Snape's arrival changes the story for both of them so the outcome is going to be different. Again, hope you enjoy! Please review!  
**

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Snape was content. After just a few days in Camelot, he was already starting to feel like he belonged. It was like Merlin had said to him earlier – however out of place one may be, Camelot still felt like home. True, he longed for the tall turrets of Hogwarts and the simple comfort of seeing Lily's face, but this was definitely better than his depressing house in Cokeworth.

Gaius had promised Snape that he would work on a potion to help him with his wish to see home and in a few weeks, he and Merlin would take a trip to a place known as the "Crystal Caves" and use the potion to stimulate his mind and open it up to the visions. It all seemed to be quite advanced magic, but he supposed that that sort of thing could be possible even in his time – he was only a fifth year after all.

He could understand now, Snape thought as he walked to as the new morning sun shone through the walls of the citadel, why Merlin was known as the greatest sorcerer of all time. Snape considered himself to be a highly proficient wizard and it took him numerous tries to master the Patronus charm and even the most powerful adult wizards couldn't produce a Patronus as magnificent as Merlin's dragon. Camelot was definitely in safe hands.

Aebba greeted Snape as he walked through the gates and handed him a bucket.

"We need to clear out some of the stables," she told him, "The knights who were investigating an intrusion from Alined's men are returning this eve. Hodor has been taken ill and he was going to fix a leak in the roof today so one of us shall need to go up there and sort it out. Is that okay?"

"Of course," replied Snape pleasantly, and the two of them entered the stables. Aebba took the horses out to the paddock to graze whilst Snape gathered the shovels and brooms from the store cupboard, then Aebba re-entered and they set to work.

The stable was a large room and was in quite a mess, so it would take a good few hours to prepare it for the incoming horses. They began by clearing the floor with the brooms and shovels, which was an arduous job in itself but the Aebba chatting amicably with Snape – or rather she chatted at him (she was quite the talker).

"My pa works for the king, you see, that's how I got my job here. My mam met him in The Rising Sun years ago, they just clicked, my mam said. Just like that. Do you think people can just click, Severus?"  
Snape looked over at the girl. She was looking at him through her eyelashes and had her head to one side. Snape cleared his throat.

"I can't say I've thought about it," he said, turning his head away. He wasn't very good at understanding girls, that was true, but it seemed as if Aebba was – dare he think it – _flirting_ with him. But surely not.

The pair worked through until lunchtime, before breaking off for lunch. Gaius had handed him a hunk of bread and salted fish that morning so he was well prepared. Snape wanted to get as much time exploring as he could so he quickly left the stables with a brief wave to Aebba and made his way hurriedly through the citadel and out of the gates, then towards the trail that led into a cluster of woodland. He didn't want to venture far – Merlin had warned him of bandits – but he soon came across a river and a large rock which stood nearby and gave a view of the flowing water.

He settled down in the gentle tranquillity and soft glow of the sun and chewed on his meal, which was surprisingly tasty. The river moved calmly along and Snape was alone with his thoughts.

He thought of Hogwarts, he thought of his dormitory, he thought of Camelot and Albion; and of course he thought at great length of Lily. But he also found his mind wandering to darker thoughts. Since he'd arrived in Camelot, Snape barely had a chance to consider his future after Hogwarts, but it was still a pressing thought. When he was younger he was taught to believe that most wizards were good and any 'bad magic' came from Muggle-borns. Lily had changed that view completely since he had met her, but a niggling thought still remained. He was a Slytherin and many of his fellow classmates often practiced dark magic on others, and it was expected that he would join in. Avery had boasted about how his father was helping a dark wizard with his cause and how he was to join him. Snape had a feeling that he would be expected to do something like this – it seemed to be the life set out for him. Like it was his destiny. Snape was at odds with himself: he sometimes had thought it would be easy to just go with it, but then he thought of Lily. He felt trapped, like his whole life was being planned out for him and he didn't have any control over anything and sometimes he wondered if the destiny decided was…really the best thing at all. He just didn't _know_.

After an hour or so, Snape made his way back to the stables to resume work. He found Aebba washing down one of the walls of the large room. She'd put a flower in her hair and Snape could tell that she had obviously done some sort of fancy braiding with it by the way it was twisted round her head.

"Severus!" she cried when he walked through the door, "Where were you all of this time?"

"I was exploring the area around Camelot. The woods to the left. I spent a while there, pondering"

"That sounds lovely and peaceful," she replied, crossing to the door so she was standing in front of him, "I wish I could have been there with you."

"Yes, well," said Snape, slightly disconcerted by the way she was slowly moving closer to him, "Perhaps another time."

"Really?" Aebba said, grinning, "Maybe we could go there together tomorrow…take a picnic…talk." She looked up at him through her eyelashes again and moved even closer.

"Maybe." Snape said, looking at her worriedly. She smiled at him and he tried to take a step back, but he was leant against the door so he had nowhere to move. He could smell something on her, some sort of perfume, an overwhelming floral smell on her neck and he could see a determined look in her eye, as she stood on her tiptoes and pouted her lips towards Snape's. Startled, he quickly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her backwards, before dodging to the side.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, as she turned round to face him with tears in her eyes, "It's just…my heart belongs to another." She didn't reply, so Snape took a step closer to her. "Aebba…"

"No," she said, "Don't [sniff] don't apologise. I wasn't [sniff] to know. Now if you don't mind, I must [sniff] go and fix the leak in the roof. If you could [sniff] finish in here, that would be lovely!"

"Aebba…"

She ran out of the door and Snape heard her start to sob as she grabbed a ladder and climbed to the top of the roof. Snape ran outside, intending to try and reason with her, but then a couple of knights entered the paddock.

"We were sent to see if the stables were ready for the knights," said a lanky redheaded knight, "They shall be arriving by nightfall."

"Almost," replied Snape, "We just have to put out the hay and then all shall be ready. Aebba is fixing the roof right now-"

Suddenly, there was a cry from above Snape's head. Aebba had turned to face the visiting knights but had lost her footing in the woven rooftop and was falling through the air.

Instinctively, Snape ran forwards and drew out his wand.

"_Aresto Momentum!" _he cried and the girl's falling body slowed and fell to the ground in slow motion. She landed with a soft thud on her back and turned her head to look at Snape, on whom it had just dawned what he had done. The girl had fear in her tear-filled eyes and Snape could only stare back as the two knights took his arms in their sturdy hands.

"You are under arrest for the use of sorcery in Camelot."


End file.
